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MultiChoice and The rise of Nigeria’s Football Fan Culture

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Football fanship is a means of social bonding that defies ethnic and religious divides among Nigerians. On weekends, avid football fans who profess loyalty to European clubs would do anything to avoid missing their favourite teams’ matches.

Europe is the dream destination for footballers and managers who aspire to perform at the highest level. Little wonder that European teams, particularly those in the English Premier League, Spanish La Liga and Italian Serie A, attract the best talents and boast the largest number of supporters from across the world including Nigeria.

Besides the thrill of exciting matches, many fans identify with these teams for various reasons. For some, support for a countryman plying his trade with a team translates to support for the whole team. Some others support a team out of love for a manager, while others generally develop fondness for a club from recurrent viewing of their matches.

While those who barely watch football wonder why grown men and women display loyalty to teams and players who barely recognize them, the football fans are usually unfaced by criticisms. For them, identifying with a football team brings a sense of belonging among football communities either online or offline, and in some instances, they identify to feel a sense of pride that comes with associating with a winning team.

The ever expanding football fandom in Nigeria would have been impossible without MultiChoice Nigeria. The company bridged the distance barrier that would have made access to European football an exclusive privilege of the wealthy by bringing these matches to the screens of many Nigerians at an affordable rate.

Since its entrance into the broadcasting space in Nigeria in 1993, the company has invested billions of naira to procure broadcasting rights for its flagship sports channel SuperSport, available on DStv and GOtv. It has also employed football experts, analysts, and veteran footballers to provide match analysis and predictions for major leagues and competitions.

As a result, a regular subscriber on GOtv Max can access all matches from top leagues such as La Liga, Serie A, and Europa League, while still being able to access a few matches from the Premier League and the Champions League for just N4, 125. As such, football lovers, regardless of their socio-economic class, can watch their favourite teams’ matches.

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And this phenomenon has brought various dynamics of socio-economic benefits for the country. Just as recently, MultiChoice Nigeria hosted a football watch party for fans to share matchday moments together. Such avenues foster togetherness among Nigerians and boost trade activities among vendors.

Similarly, football fanship has contributed its fair share to employment opportunities. There’s hardly a Nigerian community, no matter how small, that doesn’t have a football viewing centre. These centres are run by youth and adults who make good living for themselves by showing premium football matches for fans, who either cannot afford the higher subscription packages, or enjoy the football banter that such centres provide.

As more people show interest in football, it has also birthed sports programmes on broadcast media, sports-focused newspapers, blogs, social media influencers, podcasts among others. Individuals make their source of livelihood from offering these services.

One cannot also ignore the rise of competitions and trivia to reward football fans. The Fantasy Premier League game created by the English Premier League is popular among young Nigerians who use the platform to test their football management skill. Some brands have tapped into this frenzy and created means to reward top performing players.

In the same vein, Nigeria has a teeming population of youngsters, both male and female. MultiChoice has enabled them to watch world-class footballers that can inspire them to aim for a glorious career.  Also, as more Nigerians players ply their trade in Europe, these youngsters have homegrown talents to look up to.

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Nigeria has untapped potential in sports. With the commitment of companies like MultiChoice, these potentials can be transformed into socio-economic advantage.


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Ugo Onwuaso is an ICT enthusiast. He believes technology should be used for general good. He holds a Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree from the Lagos state University. Dear Reader, Your support matters. But we believe that technology makes life more exciting and helps improve the lives of people around Nigeria and indeed the world. That is why, we have devoted our energy to independent reportage of technology and finance and how they affect lives. Our incisive and analytical view of how technology news affects the daily life help individuals and organizations make up their minds. Quality journalism costs money. Today, we're asking that you support us to do more. Kindly support our effort to deliver technology and finance journalism to everyone in the world. Donate as little as N1,000. Bank transfers can be made to: UBA Plc 1017156876 Communication Week Media Ltd

General News

Dangote Plans to Donate One-Third of Wealth to Charity as Legacy

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Aliko Dangote
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Aliko Dangote, Africa’s richest man, plans to dedicate one-third of his wealth to charity as part of his succession plan, Halima Dangote, his daughter, has revealed.

Dangote Plans to Donate One-Third of Wealth to Charity as Legacy

Aliko Dangote

Halima, a trustee of the Aliko Dangote Foundation, disclosed this in an interview with Bloomberg published on Tuesday, saying the billionaire had secured the support of his family to commit 33 per cent of his estate to philanthropy.

According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Dangote’s net worth is estimated at $35.1 billion, meaning one-third of his current wealth would be worth about $11.7 billion if his fortune remains at that level.

Halima explained that her father views philanthropy as a key part of his legacy and has incorporated it into the family’s long-term succession plans.

She said Dangote had structured his estate to ensure that charitable giving continues across generations, particularly in areas such as healthcare and education.

“He sort of put all the structure in place whereby we focus a lot on health and education. He actually donated 25 per cent to the foundation. If you look at it, it is what we call in Sharia Code in Islam; it means he has donated 33 per cent of his whole inheritance to his foundation,” she said.

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Halima added that Dangote believes giving back is central to the success of his businesses and the family’s values.

She said the billionaire asked her, her two sisters, and his mother to sign the agreement allowing 33 per cent of his inheritance to be dedicated to humanitarian causes.

The planned donation builds on Dangote’s longstanding philanthropic activities through the Aliko Dangote Foundation, which was established in 1994.

According to Halima, the foundation received an endowment of $1.25 billion about a decade ago and has since received an additional $700 million in funding.

She said about 70 per cent of the foundation’s spending goes to programmes in Nigeria, while 20 per cent supports projects across Africa, with the remaining funds directed to initiatives in other parts of the world.

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The foundation’s interventions focus on healthcare, education, nutrition, and humanitarian support, including partnerships that contributed to the eradication of wild poliovirus in Africa.

Dangote’s planned charitable commitment adds to increasing global attention on billionaire philanthropy.

Although the proposed 33 per cent allocation is below the 50 per cent commitment associated with the Giving Pledge, it would rank among the largest philanthropic commitments announced by an African billionaire.

Earlier this year, Dangote was named among the world’s most influential philanthropists by TIME magazine’s inaugural TIME100 Philanthropy list, recognising the impact of the Aliko Dangote Foundation, which reportedly spends more than ₦50 billion annually on programmes across Africa.

 

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Nigeria Atomic Energy Commission Seeks Collaboration on Power Plants

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Nigeria Atomic Energy Commission (NAEC), has said that there are plans for Nigeria to begin to generate electricity from nuclear sources.

Nigeria Atomic Energy Commission Seeks Collaboration on Power Plants

Mr Anthony Godwin Ekedegwa, chief executive, NAEC stated this when he recently visited Mr Umar Yusuf Girei, acting managing director, National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA),in Abuja.

He was at NIWA’s office to solicit the support of NIWA in achieving the numerous advantages of using nuclear energy technology in the country.

According to him, the partnership of critical stakeholders in Nigeria will position the country well in developing and maintaining its nuclear power plant.

The NAEC chief said Nigeria intends to begin the generation of electricity from nuclear sources instead of fossil-based power plants and hydro-based power plants, stressing that for Nigeria to develop, there is a need for the country to diversify its energy needs.

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In his remarks, Mr Girei assured NAEC of his agency’s readiness to collaborate on the advancement of a nuclear power plant in Nigeria.

He promised the full support of NAEC for the success of a nuclear power plant in the country, saying that as the organisation saddled with the responsibility of regulating and developing Nigeria Inland Waterways, his entity is strategically positioned to play a critical role in the federal government’s quest for sustainable energy through the new technology.

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Pan-Africanism: Why Integration is Non-Negotiable for Africa’s Future

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In a powerful call for continental solidarity, Ralph Mupita, Group CEO of MTN, has asserted that the future of the African continent depends on the dismantling of xenophobic barriers.

Pan-Africanism: Why Integration is Non-Negotiable for Africa’s Future

Speaking at the Kgalema Motlanthe Foundation (KMF) Winter Seminar, Mupita framed migration as a fundamental characteristic of the African identity, urging South Africa and other nations to embrace integration over exclusion.

He emphasised that the survival of African enterprises depends on a borderless approach to trade and talent. “The digital economy we’re fast moving to knows no borders.” Mupita declared, noting that the mindset of exclusion is an outdated relic that hinders the continent’s ability to compete globally.

He argued that for Africa to leverage the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), the psychological barriers of xenophobia must be eradicated.

Providing a stark financial justification for this stance, Mupita highlighted MTN’s own operational reality as a blueprint for Pan-African success. “We earn about 80 to 82% of our earnings from outside South Africa,” he revealed, illustrating that the prosperity of South African-born entities is inextricably linked to their success across the rest of the continent. This figure underscores the interdependence of African economies and the danger of isolationist policies.

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Mupita’s stance was strong advocating for unity: “The future of Africa will not be determined by the borders that separate us, but by the economic opportunities that connect us. Governments must set predictable policy and regulations.

Businesses will follow and allocate resources and capital. Together, we can build a continent where opportunity is more evenly shared and prosperity is more widely created.”

Analysts observing the seminar noted that Mupita’s remarks come at a critical juncture where economic volatility often fuels nationalist rhetoric. By tying the fight against xenophobia to the balance sheet, MTN is positioning Pan-Africanism beyond the moral imperative to its function as a business necessity. The CEO stressed that “Migration is part of who we are,” suggesting that the movement of people is the primary engine for the movement of capital and innovation.

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